Drain pipe positioner and separator



. y 13, 1958 c. R. SUT/TLE 2,834,185

DRAIN PIPE 'POSITIONER AND SEPARATOR Filed May a, 1953 67in n'j'a uiila BY X - ATTORNEY United States Patent DRAIN PIPE POSITIONER AND SEPARATOR Clinton R. Suttle, Marion, N. C.

Application May 8, 1953, Serial No. 353,791

1 Claim. (Cl. 61-11) This invention relates to a novel positioner and separator of extremely simple construction for engaging adjacent ends of adjacent sections of soil pipe or drain pipe, commonly referred to also as drain tile, for maintaining the pipe sections in alignment and in slightly spaced apart relationship whereby drainage liquids may escape from the drain pipe into the earth or from the earth surrounding the drain pipe into the pipe to be carried off thereby Where the drain pipe is located in very wet or swampy ground.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a pipe positioner and separator of extremely simple construction which may be very economically manufactured and sold and wherein three, four or more of the separators and positioners will effectively function to maintain adjacent pipe section ends in alignment and in spaced apart relationship to one another.

Still another and particularly important object of the invention is to provide a pipe aligner and separator which may be utilized with pipes of different diameters.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating preferred embodiments thereof, and wherein:.

Figure 1 is a substantially central longitudinal sectional view of adjacent end portions of two sections of a drain pipe showing three of the positioners applied thereto, two of which appear in side elevation and the third in edge elevation;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of a slightly different form of the positioner;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view thereof taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of still another form of the positioner, and

Figure 6 is an end elevational view thereof.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, for the purpose of illustrating a preferred application and use of the positioner constituting the invention, adjacent ends 7 and 8 of two pipe sections forming a part of a drain pipe, soil pipe or drain tile have been illustrated in Figatre 1. The adjacent ends of the pipe sections 7 and 8 are shown spaced apart slightly as is desirable in order to enable liquids to enter the drain pipe through the gap 9 between said pipe sections, where the earth surroundiing the drain pipe is saturated with water or liquids, or :to escape from the drain pipe through the gap 9 where the earth is relatively dry around the drain pipe. Cons'iderable difficulty is normally encountered in maintainling adjacent ends of such pipe sections in proper alignment and also in maintaining the gap 9 therebetween. Relatively complicated devices have been devised for accomplishing these results. However, most of such devices materially obstruct for partially close h gap 9 2,834,185 Patented May 13, 1958 and are only capable of use on drain pipes of one particular diameter.

The pipe positioners, designated generally 10 and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, are of extremely simple construction and each comprise two elongated members 11, illustrated as two rods, and a separating element 12. The separating element 12, as seen in Figure 2, constitutes a S-shaped strip of relatively rigid material the end loops 13 of which engage intermediate portions of the elongated members or rods 11. the piece forming the connector and separator element 12 are forced inwardly by a compressing force, after the intermediate portions of the members 11 are engaged in the loops 13, to clamp said intermediate portions in the loops. Thus, the element 12 connects the members 11 in spaced apart substantially parallel relationship to one another. If desired to insure maintenance of the parallel and coextensive relationship of the members 11, as illustrated in Figure 1, the intermediate portions there of may be further secured to the loop portions 13 by welding, soldering or other suitable means, as indicated at 15.

The members 11 are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the walls of the pipe sections 7 and 8, and complementary ends of the members or rods 11 engage the inner and outer sides of the wall of the pipe section 7 and the other two complementary ends of the rods or members 11 of said positioner 10 similarly engage the inner and outer sides of the wall of the pipe section 8. Thus, the complementary ends of the two members or rods 11 of each positioner 10 function in cooperation with one another for straddling pipe section walls and the connector element 12 is located in the gap 9 so as to function as a separator for the adjacent ends of the pipe sections 7 and 8 to maintain the gap 9 as well as a separator for the members 11. It will be understood that three or more of the positioners 10 are utilized at each gap 9 of a drain pipe to maintain the adjacent ends of the pipe sections in spaced apart aligned relationship. It will be obvious that the rods or members 11 will maintain the pipe section ends engaged thereby in alignment and it will also be readily apparent that the positioners 10 may be used on pipe sections of any diameter having the same wall thickness. Obviously, the connector elements 12 may be made in different sizes to space the members 11 different distances apart to adapt the positioners 10 to pipes having different wall thicknesses. The ends of the members or rods 11 are preferably tapered or pointed, as seen at 16 to facilitate their application to the pipe section ends.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate a slightly different construction of the pipe positioner, designated generally 17, having elongated members or rods 18 differing from the members 11 only in that the ends thereof are not tapered or pointed. The members or rods 18 are connected in spaced substantially parallel relationship by a connector element 19 which is likewise formed from a single strip of relatively rigid material but which differs from the element 12 in that the element 19 is substantially C- shaped. The intermediate portions of the members 18 are disposed in the end loops 20 of the element 19 and the terminals 21 of said element are then bent inwardly for clamping said intermediate portions of the members 18 in the loops 20, as illustrated in Figure 4. The members 18 may be further secured to the loops 20 by solder, welding or other suitable bonding means, as indicated at 22 and corresponding to the bonding means 15, or this may be omitted. The positioner 17 functions in the same manner as the positioner 10, as previously described, and a further description thereof is considered unnecessary. The positioner 17 may lilcewise be constructed with the The terminals 14 of members .18 thereof spaced .difierent. distances apart, .by varying the size of the connector 19.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate-a positioner, designated gener'ally:z23.,i-;formed frame. single. ipiecesof mater'ial I which may be stamped, cast or formed in any othensnitable manner and which includes -LW.o substantially straight elongated membersvZ-fl which areconnected intermediate of; their ends by -.a cross member-or .connectorZSwhich maintainsrthe members 24 in spaced apart .-substant-ia1ly parallelnandcoextensive relationship. :As illustrated in Figureio zthemembers .24 are shown as being substantially ,square in cross section. However, said members could bercircular dike the. members Ila-and :18 or/could be ofaany othencross sectional shape *zdesired and the adjacent portionsrthereofmay be shapedtohconformably fitgthe inner. and onter facesof the swallsof the pipe sectionszl. and :8. :lbwill ;be.- readily obvious-that the mem- 116157.23 -may :be-employedin the same mannereas the membersrllsandtas previously described-in detail.

War-ions other modifications and changes are contemplated candi may obviouslyube resorted .to, iwithoutxdepanting :fromfthe spirit .onscope of. the inventionias. hereinafter zdefinedz by: the appended claim.

vclaim -.as,=my.v invention:

A pipe positioner comprising a pair of straight.-;elonnecting member of rod stock extending between said rods and having end portions defining loops in which intermediate portions of said rods are secured, said connecting member having an intermediate portion extending between the rods and supporting the rods in spaced apart substantially parallel relatiomto one another, complementary end portions of the rods combining with said connecting member to form aligned bifiurcated portions adapted to straddle port-ionsof the wallspf two adjacently disposed ends of sections of a drain pipe of circular oraother cross-sectional shapes vfor:znlaintaining the wall portions engaged thereby in aligntnent, said connecting member being of substantial thickness in a direction longitudinally of the pipe positioner and having the intermediate portion thereof disposed between the adjacent ends of the pipe sections to form a separator for maintaining-an opengapsbetween the .pipe section: ends.

Refereuces Cited in the-fileoflthispatent U I ED IE AT Nl 252,530 Dobbin 1 Eeb.s 16, 1 904 'l',1()5'1;7i57 :iPowers "Jan. 28, 19:13 2,608;828 :Dimiclc sept -2,1952 

